How can you get an abused cat to trust you?

Answer 1

A lot of patience. My friend owns an abused cat, and it's simply ... really hard to get that cat to trust humans again... Funny thing about that cat is, she thinks my friend who gives her food is her servant. And I guess she was abused by a food-giver, so she often also tries to be spiteful and bite my friend when she gives her food. I think she's had that cat for years, and the cat has dropped the act a little bit, but I think she gets scratched for no reason (the cat will just jump on her and scratch for no reason) once in every week or so... But I think frequency is very very slowly dropping. If you just keep the claws clipped, it shouldn't be too much of a problem (although it still hurts a bit...) But well, clipping claws of abused cat is also very hard since sometimes they think you're trying to hurt them... You just have to have a lot of patience. Funny thing, the cat was actually very affectionate when my friend got pregnant, and never hurt the daughter. And that cat knows she's not well-liked by the husband of my friend. So she stays away from him (it's hard to like an animal that hurts the loved one, so I understand him). but I think the cat sort of understands that house is relatively safe, but still having the nightmares and attacks the weakest one (the one who gives her food) once in awhile... Hopefully it will stop in near future.

Answer 2

The first thing to do is stop trying to touch it. A feral cat is likely to distrust people because it thinks they may try to hurt it (and likely has some experience of this happening).

You need to take it very slow. Get some dry cat food and put out a bowl of food and a bowl of water near (but not too near) your door. You should do this at the same time (within an hour or so) every day. Shake the bag when you're putting out food, so the cat can hear this and associate it with food. Once you put the food out, sit down ten or more feet away and see if the cat will come investigate and eat the food. Do not look directly at the cat; pretend you don't see it. If the cat doesn't come in fifteen minutes or so, leave the food out, go inside, and leave the cat alone for the rest of the day. In this phase you're trying to get the cat to realize that a) food happens here, b) rattle rattle rattle means food (and the food happens the same time every day), c) it can eat the food without being molested.

If the cat won't eat while you're around, repeat this for a week or two: put out the food and go inside. After that, try putting out the food but go back to sitting around in plain view at least ten feet away from the food. This time, wait a half hour. Don't do anything to startle the cat, like sudden movements or noises, and definitely don't try to pet it or even look directly at it. I know you want to, but you need to be patient. If the cat hasn't come for the food in a half hour, pick it up and take it inside. In this phase you're teaching the cat that a) it can safely eat with you around and b) if it doesn't eat when you're there it doesn't get to eat.

Once the cat will eat with you there and has been doing so for a week or two, it's time to move to the next step. Give the cat a treat. Get some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook them fully (boiling is a good way). Don't season them; cats don't have human tastes. After the chicken is cooked, let it cool and cut it into small bite-size (for a cat) pieces. Take the pieces outside at feeding time. The cat will probably be waiting for food. Sit down in your usual spot and toss a piece of chicken a short distance in front of the cat. Keep doing this until you're out of chicken ... you can try tossing it a little closer to yourself each time to get the cat to approach more closely. Do not approach the cat, let the cat come to you. Once you're out of chicken (remember, this is a treat, not a meal; you don't need to give it much), put out dry food as usual. Repeat this for a week or so (you don't have to give the chicken every day, but you should do it at least every other day), but move the dry food a little closer to you each day. By the end of the week, you should be sitting almost within reach of the food, and the fact that you haven't tried to grab or hurt the cat should have taught it that it can trust you.

Once you're sitting next to the food, once the cat is eating reach out for it very slowly and gently and see if it will let you pet it. If the cat hisses or growls, back off and try again the next day.

If, after all this, the cat still won't let you pet it, it's probably been living in the wild too long to ever fully trust a human. Just keep putting out food and sitting next to it and accept that. You can occasionally try petting it again; it may eventually relent.

If you really want a pet cat, you can go to an animal shelter and get a cat there. Cats in the shelter are more likely to be either a) kittens that can be socialized so they get used to humans or b) adult cats that are already socialized.

Answer 3

Time + patience + food, in a nutshell.

Let the dog come to you. Move slowly and talk softly.